Australia here we come!

It was a month after the tsunami before our business was settled in American Samoa. We said goodbye to Chris, Wayne and Jacob and Garry and I were left to clean-up. We had to wait for the insurance company's decision and then once she was "written-off" it was our responsibility to take care of the wreck. We were lucky enough to find an American family who were experienced boat owners prepared to wait for the repairs to "Biscayne Bay" possibly over several cyclone seasons. It would be a long drawn out process if parts were even available in such a remote location, so we sold her to Sam and Jenny who promised they would bring her back to her former glory. We packed our personal belongings and put them in a container on the MV Tasman. We thought this would be the last time we would see them, as in typical island style everything was sooooooooo casual. We did eventually get them, two months later and after much discussion about the price. We said goodbye to David and Sue, our Australian Samoan-based fiends who opened their home to us and helped us so much in those final weeks. We flew to Western Samoa on a scary tiny plane, that did not instill me with a lot of confidence. I could see daylight in several large cracks between the door and cabin. Yikes! After a bumpy ride we arrived for a night at Aggie Gray's Resort before a first class flight, via New Zealand to Melbourne courtesy of our travel insurance company. This was a very enjoyable experience were we supped champagne the entire journey. The closer we got to Australian shores the more familiar the accent and our surroundings became. We were elated, yet somehow deflated when we finally stepped on Australian shores. Our journey was coming to an end, we reflected on how long we had been away and all the planning and effort that had taken place to get us back to our sunny shores. All rather surreal!

Her final resting spot

Here she landed after being tossed around by a very large wave. Not quite her beautiful self any longer.

What can you do?

Garry resigned to the fate of "Biscayne Bay". Somethings just cannot be controlled!

The debris floating in the harbour

 

In the following blog entry, which is very long you will find our story regarding the events of the tsunami. Lots of people have asked us about it and wondered when we would finish our blog. Well here it is! There is also a version appearing in the Australian magazine "Cruising Helmsman" with lots of photos. It was an amazing event and I suppose we are lucky to be here to actually tell the tale, so if you are interested have a read.